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He continued, pointing somewhere in the distance. “Ebriel is ruled by a baron. He’s a kind man with a great sense of humor. You’ll like his wife. They have several children. I think their youngest is a few years older than Maisy.”
The carriage swayed around a bend, and Nyana’s hand flew to her mouth as a wave of nausea churned in her belly.
A moment later, Joel’s hand touched her elbow, a look of concern in his eyes. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing, unfortunately.” She laughed but regretted it when her stomach clenched. With her eyes closed, she focused on taking several deep breaths. “I need to get out of here.”
“We’re almost there. Just a few more minutes.”
She peeked her eyes open to find houses becoming sparse again, the city turning into sprawling land. And then…
She inhaled sharply, leaning forward in her seat. Their carriage rolled through a long stretch of road, tall apple trees bare of leaves on either side. Her magic sang with the life bursting through the orchard. And with a start, she realized she could do so much here to help Joel. She could transfer energy from one tree to another. She could ripen fruits and grow branches and provide health to sick trees.
“Beautiful,” she murmured.
“Just wait until you see it in the summer.” When the children weren’t looking, he placed a kiss just below her ear. Mirth danced in his eyes as he whispered, “I’m getting sneakier. No?”
Laughter escaped her mouth, and she squeezed his hand. Oh, how she loved and adored this man.
A bump in the road brought her attention back to the window, and nerves fluttered through her heart once more. The orchard trees ended at a stretch of grass, revealing a dirt road leading to two houses.
Joel pointed to the house straight ahead of them. “Nana and my siblings live there.” He pointed to the second house nearby. “And our family will live there.”
Her lips parted in surprise. Snow covered the ground and hid the yard, surrounded by a brown wooden fence. The house was two stories tall, a thatched roof a lovely contrast against the white snow. A snowy pasture lay behind the two houses, several cows huddled together for warmth. And she spotted a chicken coop between Nana’s home and theirs.
“Joel…this is…” Emotion choked her as she threw her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. “Thank you. So much. For everything. I love you.”
He sighed and tightened his grip around her waist. “I love you, too.”
The carriage jolted to a stop, and the nerves and nausea returned at full force. Maisy and Eva threw the door open. In their excitement of arriving at their destination and finally getting out of the carriage, they threw themselves in the snow. Their arms and legs moved up and down as they created snow angels.
Next, Joel climbed out, and when he held out his hand, she gazed into his lively green eyes for a long moment. Her friend. Her sweetheart. Her everything. And as she slipped her fingers through his, she gave her entire self to him, as well as her future. Their fingers fit perfectly together, just like how their souls conjoined with beautiful symmetry.
The moment she stepped foot out of the carriage, Nana’s front door flew open. The older woman’s face broke into a gigantic smile as she lifted her skirts and hurried down the steps, followed by Joel’s exuberant siblings. She pulled Nyana into a fierce embrace like a mother who had just reunited with her child.
“Finally!” she cried, kissing one cheek and then the other. “I have waited years for this. Welcome home, Nyana.”
Nyana swallowed, her heart burning with gratitude and happiness. Joel had been right. This family still loved her. Unconditionally. With Joel, her girls, and this baby growing in her belly, she knew this was exactly where she needed to be.
“It’s good to be home.”
